Drama: Production History and Photos
We do numerous productions for a college of our size, usually five a year: typically we open the fall with a smaller show on Parents' Weekend, then do a major production in November, followed by "A Christmas Carol" in December; at the end of January Term, we do a student directed play, with another major production in April. Students have many opportunities to direct, design, stage manage, crew, and act at R-MC.
Productions from recent seasons are listed below, along with links to photos from the productions where available.
2010-2011 SeasonIndoor/Outdoor by Kenny Finkle
September 22-25 (Drama/comedy) The improbable story of a cat (and a talking one at that) who undertakes a journey to find herself, only to discover as countless generations of humans have done before her, that home is where the heart is. This production is a reprise of Ms. Perritt’s summer 2010 SURF project.
Directed by Anna Perritt (SURF Reprise), '11
Scenic Design by Chris Mollen (SURF Reprise), '11
Lighting Design by Chris Mollen (SURF Reprise), '11
Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang
October 20-23 (Drama/comedy) Christopher Durang at his wry and gently biting best. Bruce and Prudence, each in therapy, are searching for “that certain someone” and their first date sets the stage for the rest of the play as Bruce reveals to a bewildered Prudence that he is bisexual—or thinks he is. Mix in their respective unprofessional and/or incompetent therapists and the result shows why Durang is among America’s best comic playwrights.
Directed by Anna Perritt (Senior Drama Project), '11
Scenic Design by Chris Mollen (Senior Drama Project), '11
Lighting Design by Gregg Hillmar
Fences by August Wilson
November 17-20 (Drama) The 1987 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning drama about Troy Maxson, who keenly feels the sting of racial prejudice in 1950’s Pittsburgh and builds both literal and figurative fences to keep his family safe from its effects.
Directed by Melissa Mowry (Senior Drama Project), '11
Scenic Design by Gregg Hillmar
Lighting Design by Gregg Hillmar
"A Christmas Carol" by Marilyn Mattys
December 10-16(Traditional) "A Christmas Carol" had its first production in 1990 in Old Chapel. Performed annually every year (save one) since then, it reprises actors, sets, and more importantly a story of charity and redemption that audiences have returned to literally for decades.
Directed by Joe Mattys
Scenic Design by Gregg Hillmar
Lighting Design by Gregg Hillmar
Anton in Show Business by Jane Martin
February 16-19 (Drama/Comedy) takes you backstage in a fast-paced and remorseless look into the world of theatre. An all-female cast performs multiple roles (including men) in this uproarious comedy about a self-centered television actress, a jaded New Yorker and an enthusiastic ingenue brought together for an ill-fated production of Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters in San Antonio, Texas.
Directed by Steve Perigard, a Payne Visiting Artist
Scenic Design by Gregg Hillmar
Lighting Design by Gregg Hillmar
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Stephen Sondheim, Bert Shevelove, and Larry Gelbart
April 27-30 (Musical Comedy) The 1962 Tony Award winning playfully bawdy story of a slave named Pseudolus and his attempts to win his freedom by helping his young master woo the girl next door. Based on plays by Roman playwright Plautus, the plot contains classic elements of farce, including puns, the slamming of doors, and cases of deliberately mistaken identity.
Directed by Joe Mattys
Scenic Design by Mary Tshirhart, '12
Lighting Design by Gregg Hillmar
2009-2010 Season
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
November 18-21, 2009, (Comedy) Set in 1890’s England, the play traces the courtship of two couples: two dapper young men set out to woo two beautiful young women. By a perfectly unlikely coincidence, both men use the pseudonym Earnest when not in London, and the women are fixated on marrying only an Earnest. The confusion and obstacles accumulate in a flurry of brilliantly witty dialogue, and the whole dilemma is resolved only by a final coincidence that is as unlikely as it is delightful. The production is directed by Elicia Porter as her senior project in drama.
Director: Elicia Porter (class of '10)
Scenic Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
“A Christmas Carol” by Marilyn Mattys
December 4-10: Friday the 4th at 7:30, Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th at 2:00, and Monday the 7th through Thursday the 10th at 7:30, 2009.(Drama) In the College’s twentieth annual edition of this classic, student, staff and faculty actors as well as local children and residents join talents to launch the holiday season with this favorite that draws families year after year to delight again in Dickens’ familiar yet eternally heart-warming tale of “charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence”.
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
“The Collection” and “The Lover” by Harold Pinter
February 17-20, 2010. (Drama) The late Harold Pinter was the master of pauses and spare dialogue, and his plays weave an unsettling mood for the audience. The plots and themes of these two one-acts deal with infidelity and betrayal, and yet even when they are over, we cannot always be positive about what has just happened. As one critic has noted, Pinter’s work “affords a stimulating glimpse into the shadow abyss that lies between the true and the false, illusion and reality.” The production is directed by William Allen as his senior project in drama.
Director: William Allen (class of '10)
Scenic Designer: Chris Mollen (class of '11)
Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Alice in Wonderland by William Glennon
March 17-20, 2010. (Children’s Theatre) This new version is so close to the original in intention and feeling that you might suspect that Carroll himself had written it. And yet, it includes many unusual and imaginative staging devices. A group of performers seeks out Alice in order to provide "her turn" in Wonderland. And, as her adventure unfolds, they play the many characters she encounters and grows to love. The production promises to be a delight for all ages. The production is directed by Emily Arnold as her senior project in drama.
Director: Emily Arnold (class of '10)
Scenic Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Othello by William Shakespeare
April 28 – May 1, 2010. (Drama) One of the masterpieces of Shakespearean tragedy, the play is driven by the jealousies of both the protagonist Othello and the antagonist Iago. For his part Iago is jealous that the young Cassio has been promoted over him, and plots to inflame Othello’s jealous nature with the suspicion that Cassio is having an affair with Othello’s wife Desdemona. The production is directed by William Magnant as his senior project in drama and designed by Jason Depre as his senior project in drama.
Director: William Magnant (class of '10)
Scenic Designer: Jason DePre (class of '10)
Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
2008-09 Season
Rashomon by Faye and Michael Kanin
September 24th through September 27th 2008
The wife of a samurai warrior is assaulted and her husband killed by the roving bandit Tajomaru. Contradictory versions of what happened are re-enacted at the trial by the bandit, the wife and the dead husband who speaks through a medium. Though each seems plausible, the truth proves elusive until the last. This production is a reprise of a S.U.R.F. project from August, directed by Rebecca Johnsen.
Director: Rebecca Johnsen (class of '10)
Scenic Designer: Bill Allen (class of '10)
Lighting Designer: James D. Jump (class of '09)
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
November 12th through November 15th 2008
Determined to end the Peloponnesian War, Lysistrata rallies the women of Greece to stage a strike—by withholding sex from their husbands—until the men agree to peace. This classic comedy employs the full arsenal of comic humor, from puns and bawdy language to farce and visually graphic jokes. This production is directed by Elizabeth C. (Bitsy) Johnson as her senior project in Drama, and the set is designed by James Murray as his senior project in Drama.
Director: Elizabeth C. Johnson (class of '09)
Scenic Designer: James Murray (class of '09)
Lighting Designer: James D. Jump (class of '09)
"A Christmas Carol" by Marilyn Mattys
December 5th at 7:30 p.m., December 6th & 7th at 2:00 p.m., December 8th through December 11th at 7:30 p.m.
This perennial family favorite has been offered every year but one since 1990. Audiences return year after year to begin the holiday season, to see favorite characters and hear favorite passages—and to see what new small threads have been woven into the fabric of this beloved classic tale.
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
The Boys Next Door by Tom Griffin
February 18th through February 21st 2009
Very funny—yet very touching—this play focuses on the lives of four men with various types of mental problems who live in a communal residence under the watchful eye of a sincere, but increasingly despairing, social worker. Filled with humor, the play is also marked by the compassion and understanding with which it peers into the half-lit world of its four handicapped protagonists. This production is directed by Tim Gochenour as his senior project in Drama.
Director: Tim Gochenour (class of '09)
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
April 29th through May 2nd 2009
Shakespeare’s classic tragedy of political intrigue and personal betrayal still resonates with audiences today with its cast of psychologically complex characters, its plot filled with dire but unheeded warnings, and its rich trove of famous lines and speeches that have earned a permanent place in our memory. This production is directed by Tonya Pleasants as her senior project in Drama, and the set is designed by James D. Jump as his senior project in Drama.
Director: Tonya Pleasants (class of '09)
Scenic Designer: James D. Jump (class of '09)
Lighting Designer: James Murray (class of '09)
07-08 Season
Wildest Dreams by Alan Ayckbourn
Comedy— In this "be careful what you wish for" comedy set in a small town outside of London, a group of misfit friends project their dreams and aspirations onto figures in a board game they play. The characters slowly become their view of perfection, but not without dire (yet sometimes humorous) consequences.
(A revival of a 2007 SURF project)
Directed by James Murray (class of '09)
Scenic Design by James Murray (class of '09)
Lighting Design by JD Jump (class of '09)
Wednesday, September 26 through Friday, September 28 at 8:00
Saturday, September 29 at 2:00
Cobb Theatre
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Drama—Innocence is no defense against the hysteria of suspicion, when cries of witchcraft in Salem of 1692 inflame a society already rife with repression and guilt.
Directed by Joe Mattys
Scenic & Lighting Design by Gregg Hillmar
Wednesday, November 14 through Saturday, November 17 at 8:00
Special added matinee, Saturday, November 17 at 2pm
Cobb Theatre
"A Christmas Carol" by Marilyn Mattys
Holiday classic—Since it was first produced on campus in 1990, this perennial favorite has delighted and moved its audiences, both with its traditional appeal and its annual innovations.
Directed by Joe Mattys
Scenic & Lighting Design by Gregg Hillmar
Friday, December 7 and Monday, December 10 through Thursday, December 13 at 7:30
Saturday, December 8 and Sunday, December 9 at 2:00
Cobb Theatre
Baby with the Bathwater by Christopher Durang
Comedy—Two truly clueless parents blithely raise their son as a girl, putting him in skirts and naming him Daisy. In a series of brilliantly theatrical and wildly hilarious scenes, the saga of Daisy's struggle to establish his identity continues, despite all obstacles.
Directed by JD Jump (class of '09)
Scenic Design by Michael Jarvis (class of '08)
Lighting design by James Murray
Wednesday, February 20 through Saturday, February 23 at 8:00
Cobb Theatre
Little Mary Sunshine* by Rick Besoyan
Musical—In this loving spoof of old time movie musicals, the setting is “the wild Rocky Mountains of Colorado, populated by sweet Little Mary, stalwart Captain Big Jim of the Forest Rangers, a chorus of simpering school girls paired with more Rangers, and a villainous Indian. Thundering choruses, schmaltzy waltzes and lilting duets add to the delight in a souvenir from an innocent era gone by.
Directed by Joe Mattys
Scenic & Lighting Design by Gregg Hillmar
Wednesday, April 30 through Sunday, May 4 at 8:00
Cobb Theatre
06-07 Season
Three Viewings by Jeffrey Hatcher
September 20th through September 22nd 2006
(Comedy/Drama) Three individuals attend separate services at a small funeral home and in comic yet moving monologues tell us the stories of the deceased—and reveal themselves at the same time. ( A revival of a SURF project from the summer)
Cobb Theatre
Director: Sarah Eister (class of '07)
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Matt Moore (class of '05)
Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon
November 15th through November 18th 2006
(Comedy/Drama) An autobiographical glimpse of Simon’s teen years, complete with both the small comic miseries and the touching warmth of family that shape us all.
Cobb Theatre
Director: Theresa Traylor (class of '05)
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
"A Christmas Carol" by Marilyn Mattys
December 8th through December 14th 2006
(Traditional)
Now in its 16th year, the production blends elements familiar to its audience with small new touches each year.
Cobb Theatre
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestly
February 21st through February 24th 2007
(Drama)
When a young Englishwoman commits suicide, a prominent family is questioned by a police inspector, whose identity is as charged with mystery as are the family’s connections to the dead girl.
Cobb Theatre
Director: Gregg Hillmar
Scenic Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Lighting Designer: JD Jump (Class of '09)
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonough
May 2nd through May 5th 2007
(Drama)
The fortyish spinster Maureen Folan is ensnared by her manipulative mother Mag into caring for her, until Mag draws the net too tight in this darkly comic play by the author of The Cripple of Inishmaan.
Cobb Theatre
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic Designer: Michael Jarvis (Class of '08)
Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
05-06 Season
The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco
Director: Amber Chadil (class of '06)
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Matt Hackman (class of '02)
The Fantasticks
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
"A Christmas Carol" adapted by Marilyn Mattys
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Lighting Designer: Matt Moore(class of '05)
The Bacchae by Euripides
Director: Amber Chadil (class of '06)
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Good: A Tragedy by C. P. Taylor
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
04-05 Season
Picasso at the Lapin Agile by Steve Martin
Director: Theresa Traylor(class of '05)
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Matt Hackman (class of '02)
"A Christmas Carol" adapted by Marilyn Mattys
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Lighting Designer: Matt Moore(class of '05)
A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller
Director: Theresa Traylor (class of '05)
Scenic Designer: Gregg Hillmar
Light Designer: Matt Moore(class of '05)
The Hallway by Josh Knibb
Director: Josh Knibb (class of '05)
Scenic Designer: Josh Knibb
Light Designer: Matt Moore (class of '05)
03-04 Season
Talley's Folly by Lanford Wilson
Director: Theresa Traylor (class of '05)
Scenic Designer: Matt Hackman (class of '02)
Dark of the Moon by Howard Richardson and William Berney
Director: Matt Hackman (class of '02)
Set Designer: Gregg Hillmar "A Christmas Carol" adapted by Marilyn Mattys
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
"A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking" by John Ford Noonan
Director: Gloria Friedel (class of '04)
Designer: Gregg Hillmar
on the same bill with
"Dumb Waiter" by Harold Pinter
Director: Robert King (class of '04)
Designer: Gregg Hillmar
City of Angels book by Larry Gelbart, Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by David Zippel
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
02-03 Season
On the Verge by Eric Overmyer
Director: Amanda Russcol (class of '03)
Tartuffe by Moliere
Director: Adam Moreland (class of '03)
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, adapted by Marilyn Mattys
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
"Pic-Nic" by Francisco Arrabal
Director: Amanda Russcol (class of '03)
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
on the same bill with
"Death Thrust" by
Director: Amanda Russcol (class of '03)
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Gregg Hillmar
01-02 Season
Finding the Sun by Edward Albee
Director: Mary Beth Quirk
Set and Light Design: David Cole
Chapter Two by Neil Simon
Director: Jessi Jones
Set and Light Design: David Cole
Agnes of God by John Peilmeier
Director: Maria Scott
Set and Light Design: David Cole
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, adapted by Marilyn Mattys
Director: Joe Mattys
Set and Light Design: David Cole
"Fool for Love" by Sam Shepard
Director: Katie Roecker
Set and Light Design: David Cole
on the same bill with
"On Tidy Endings" by Harvey Fierstein
Director: Katie Horn
Set and Light Design: David Cole
Cabaret by Joe Masteroff, John Kander, Fred Ebb
Director: Joe Mattys
Set and Light Design: David Cole
00-01 Season
Waltzing Deniro by Lynn Martin
Director: Laura Coleman
Set and Light Design: David Cole
Bobby (Trip Vanderpoel) and Joanna (Katie Horn)
Clara (Kathryn Timmons) and Joanna (Katie Horn)
The Visit by Friedrich Duerrenmatt
Director: Joe Mattys
Set Design: David Cole
Light Design: Katie Roecker
Claire arrives in Gullen
Anton and Claire reminisce in the Konradsweil Forest
Claire muses about Gullen to the impressionable Pedro
The beginning of the end: Anton asks the police for help
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, adapted by Marilyn Mattys
Director: Joe Mattys
Set and Light Design: David Cole
Marley appears in Scrooge's chambers
Private Eyes by Steven Deitz
Director: Sarah McFather
Set Design: David Cole
Light Design: Katie Roecker
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Director: Joe Mattys
Set and Light Design: David Cole
Medea Redux by Neil Labute
Director: Laura Coleman
Set and Light Design: David Cole
99-00 Season
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
Director: Joe Mattys
Set and Light Design: David Cole
"A Christmas Carol" adapted by Marilyn Mattys
Director: Joe Mattys
Set and Light Design: David Cole
"The Real Inspector Hound" by Tom Stoppard
Director: Charles Raffetto
Set and Light Design: David Cole
in repertory with
"Revelations" by Waren Gore
Director: Carrie Kozanasky
Set Design: David Cole
Light Design: Katie Roecker
The Best Man by Gore Vidal
Director: Joe Mattys
Set and Light Design: David Cole
98-99 Season
The Doctor In Spite of Himself by Moliere
Director: Joe Mattys
Set and Light Design: David Cole
"A Christmas Carol" adapted by Marilyn Mattys
Director: Joe Mattys
Set Design: David Cole
Light Design: Chris Drzal
Production Photos:
A Christmas Carol #1
A Christmas Carol #2
"Oleanna" by David Mamet
?Director: James Allen
Set and Light Design: David Cole
in repertory with
"Leon and Joey" by Keith Huff
Director: Laura ?Coleman
Production Photos:
Oleanna #1
Oleanna #2
Leon and Joey
"Miss Julie" by August Strindberg
Director: Bo Nelson
Set Design: David Cole
Light Design: Chris Drzal
in repertory with
"Dogfight Brewing Company" by James Allen and Blaise Miller
Directors: James Allen and Blaise Miller
Set Design: David Cole
Light Design: Chris Drzal
Production Photos:
Dogfight Brewing Company
97-98 Season
"The Actor's Nightmare" by Christopher Durang
Director: Elizabeth Getaz
Costumes, Set and Light Design: Anthony Hostetter
Production Photos:
I didn't mean to do that
Oh Maid!
Willie doesn't have that many lines
The Foreigner by Larry Shue
Director: Elisabeth Hostetter
Set and Light Design: Anthony Hostetter
Production Photos:
The Set
" A Christmas Carol" adapted by Marilyn Mattys
Director: Joe Mattys
Set and Light Design: Anthony Hostetter
"One For All or Nothing" by Dean Browell
Director: Dean Browell
Set Design: Caine Macleod
Light Design: Anthony Hostetter
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Director: Joe Mattys
Set and Light Design: Anthony Hostetter
96-97 Season
"The Zoo Story" by Edward Albee
Director: Rebecca Schriber
Scenographer: Anthony Hostetter
Production Photos:
The Scene
The Heidi Chronicles by Wendy Wasserstein
Director and Costumes: Elisabeth Hostetter
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Anthony Hostetter
Production Photos:
The High School Dance
The Rap Group
"A Christmas Carol" adapted by Marilyn Mattys
Director: Joe Mattys
Lighting Designer: Anthony Hostetter
"Did You Heard the One About the Irishman?" by Christina Reid
Director: Laura Haverkamp
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Anthony Hostetter
Costume Designer: Jennifer Wright
Production Photos:
The Set
The Rafferty Family's Kitchen
The Clarke Family's Kitchen
As You Like It by William Shakespeare
Director: Joe Mattys
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Anthony Hostetter
Costume Designer: Elisabeth Hostetter
Production Photos:
Act Two, scene 7
Act Five, scene 2
Act Five, scene 4
95-96 Season
The Dining Room by A.R. Gurney
Working (from the book by Studs Turkel) Adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso
"Sketches" & "Lemonade" by Harold Pinter, Jane Martin, & James Prideaux
"Where Have All The Lightning Bugs Gone?" by Louis Catron
"Surreal Estate" by Dean Browell
"Twice Shy" by Debra Neff
94-95 Season
"The Granny" (La Nona) by Roberto M. Cossa
Six Student Directed Projects
"A Christmas Carol" adapted by Marilyn Mattys
"Eclipse" by Jay Pattisall
"Chicks" by Grace McKeaney
"Life After Elvis"
"A Music Revue"
93-94 Season
Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckborn
The Diviners by James Leonard
"Generations" a musical revue
"A Christmas Carol" adapted by Marilyn Mattys
"Hidden In This Picture" by Aaron Sorkin
"Duck Variations" by David Mamet